Western Growers applauds $4B in drought-relief funding

Irvine, Calif.-based Western Growers praised the inclusion of $4 billion in drought-relief funding for the Colorado River Basin in the Senate’s Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

“We appreciate the determination of Sen. Kyrsten Sinema and her colleagues to secure substantial new funding for drought-related priorities in the Colorado River Basin, which supports 5.7 million acres of irrigated agriculture, including most of the nation’s winter vegetables, as well as other high-value foods such as citrus and melons,” Western Growers President and CEO Dave Puglia said in a statement.

“Not only does the Colorado River supply the water and power needs of nearly 40 million people across the West, it sustains the agricultural output of Yuma, Ariz., and California’s Imperial Valley. Without fast and serious federal assistance, a significant portion of the nation’s food supply hangs in the balance.“

A one-page summary of The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 is available online.

Nutrition alarm

The Center for Science in the Public Interest said in a statement that the bill “disappointingly” does not include key child nutrition provisions included in the House-passed Build Back Better Act last year. 

That legislation, the group said, included $250 million for healthier school meals, expansions of free school meals for 9 million children in higher-poverty schools, additional food assistance through the summer electronic benefit transfer program for 21 million children, and $30 million in kitchen equipment. 

The bill also did not include an extension of free school meals through next school year, as contained in the bipartisan Support Kids Not Red Tape Act backed by 51 senators. 

“These investments in school meals are critical to reduce nutrition and food insecurity and mitigate a hunger cliff that many children may face as they return to school and the meal program lapses,” the CSPI said in the statement. “We urge Congress to do right by the 30 million children who rely on school meals and add these important investments back into the bill, making sure our kids get the healthy meals they need to learn, grow, and thrive.”